Thread and zipper package



June 22, 1954 MB 2,681,731

THREAD AND ZIPPER PACKAGE Filgd Nov. 2, 1950 3/ 2 7? 7.9 12 /z a L f .i

I I Z06 70 INVEN TOR.

Dav/'0 5. Chambem Patented June 22, 1954 THREAD AND ZIPPER PACKAGE David B. Chambers, Ridgewood, N. 3., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Coats & Clark Inc., Wilmington, Del., a corporaticn of Delaware Application November 2, 1950, Serial No. 193,571

3 Claims.

I This invention relates to a package or box for holding and displaying a combination of related articles. The package is made of transparent material and is designed to hold and coincidently display articles such as an individual zipper or separable fastener and a spool of thread suitable for attaching the zipper to a garment or other article and for other purposes. It is envisaged that the packages will be prominently arranged in retail shops and the like in places where they can be seen and/or picked up and inspected by customers, so that the color, size, and other details of the zipper and of the thread may be easily determined without opening the package, and that each package will be sold as a unit.

The invention may be further understood by considering the accompanying drawing in which a preferred form is shown and in which:

Fig. 1 is a central, vertical section through the empty package, and

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, that is, with the end wall I2 removed, but showing a zipper and a thread spool in the package.

The package comprises two interengageable parts, one of which is a container part and the other a cover part. Although not particularly material, for convenience the container part is designated as II! in the drawings and the cover part as I I. Container It comprises a circular end wall l2 to which is fixedly attached a cylindrically shaped side wall I3. Centrally disposed on the inside of end wall I2 and integral therewith is an annular ring or projecting portion I4.

The cover part I I comprises a circular cover or lid I5 having a hollow core member I6 attached endwise to the inner side of the same. As shown, the core I6 is tubular and is closed at the end IT by the cover to which it is attached while at the opposite end I8 it is open. Core member I6 has at least two, and preferably four, longitudinal slots I9, I9a, 2B, and a extending from end to end thereof and generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the core member. Also on the inner side of the cover I5 is an annular flange or ring 2| adajacent the peripheral edges of the cover and extending inwardly thereof.

The two parts may be secured together by engaging the flange 2| with the inner surfaces of the free edges 22 of the wall I3. The engagement is a frictional one, and the parts are thus held together, with the edges 22 in contact with the inner side of cover I5.

On its outer side surface 23 the core member I6 is adapted to receive and hold a zipper 24. One end portion 25 of the zipper is laid on the surface 23, as shown in Fig. 2, and the remaining length of the zipper is then wound about the core member. The coils of the zipper are shown separated from each other because of the contact between the separable fastener elements on adjacent coils. Some of these elements are indicated at Zia. In the hollow interior 2? of the core member a thread spool 28 is adapted to be received. The spool 28 is provided with the usual end tickets, one of which is shown at 29 containing a legend 3!) for identifying the thread. When the zipper and thread spool are in place and the packageis closed, the width of the coiled zipper may be such as to extend from cover I15 to the end wall I2; thus assuring a snug fit and easy removal, although of course the zipper width can be less. The thread spool is held between the core member I6 and the annular ring it, and preferably thering M receives and encloses one end of the spool. The fit of the spool within these cooperating receiving members or receptacles I6 and I4 is snug enough to minimize rattling without preventing the parts I?) and II from closing.

If desired, the zipper 24 may also be supported on the core member by first inserting the end 25 in one of the longitudinal slots I9, [9a, 26, or Ella, and then winding the zipper around the core. In this case, the spool would serve to wedge the fastener end 25 between itself and the inner side surface of the core member.

In order to facilitate the separation of the package into its parts, the end wall I 2 of container I0 is provided with an extension 3: and the .cover It; is provided with an extension 32, and these enable the respective parts to be gripped more easily by the fingers. The outer surfaces of end wall I2, side wall l3 and cover I5 are otherwise smooth.

The package may be made of any suitable transparent material, preferably of transparent plastic, of which a number of suitable types are available. The use of plastic material is advantageous because of its resiliency, which property is made use of in the engagement of the two parts, a desirable snap action effect being obtainable.

It is, of course, possible to package and display other tape-like articles about the core member instead of separable fasteners. Also, other articles generally similar to thread spools may be placed within the core member. As will be appreciated, the core member may have other cross sections besides a tubular one, and the shape of the container and the cover need not necessarily be circular.

The package may be displayed as shown in Fig. 1, i. e., resting on the cover 15, or in the reversed position, i. e., resting on the wall l2. If desired, it may also be rested on side wall l3. No matter how it is arranged, it will be evident that the articles inside it will be easily visible, and in view of this adaptability, it will be understood that it is not material whether the part l is called a container piece or a cover piece, or whther the part II is called a cover piece or a container piece.

After the package has served its purpose, the consumer may, if desired, convert it to a box useful for miscellaneous purposes by breaking up the core member l6, as the provision of the longitudinal slots therein renders the removal of the core in this way fairly easy. The core material is sufiiciently frangible to enable it to be broken away from the cover l5.

In the light of the foregoing description, the following is claimed:

1. A package for merchandise comprising a container and. a cover therefor, both of which are of transparent material, said cover comprising a fiat circular disc having a cylindrical hollow core attached endwise to one side of the same with the opposite end of the core being open, at least two longitudinal slots in the cylindrical wall of the core and opening through the open end thereof, an annular flange on said sideof the cover adjacent the cover periphery, said container comprising an end wall having side walls attached thereto, the free edges of said side walls being engaged by the annular flange of the cover, an annular projecting portion on the inside of the end wall of the container and integral with said end wall, said cover being secured to the container by the engagement of the annular flange of the cover with the free edges of the side walls of the container, said annular projecting portion being spaced from and in alinement with said core, a peripheral extension on the cover which serves as a means to grip the cover, and a peripheral extension on the container end wall which serves as a means to grip the container, said core having a tape-like article wrapped around the outer surface thereof and a spool-like article in the interior of the same.

2. A package for holding and displaying articles of merchandise comprising a transparent container and a transparent cover for the same, a tubular core attached endwise to one side of the cover, the attached end of said core being closed while the opposite end thereof is open, said core being composed of frangible material and having at least two slots therein to enable the core to be.

broken away from the cover if desirable, an annular projecting portion disposed inside the container and integral therewith, said annular projecting portion being spaced from and in alinement with said core, the inside transverse dimension of the container being approximately twicethe inside height of the container and the inside diameter of the core being approximately the same as the inside height of the container, said core having a tape-like article wrapped around the outer tubular surface of the same and a spool-like article in the interior of the same, and a peripheral extension on each of the cover and the container and serving as a means to grip the said cover and container.

3. A package for holding and displaying articles of merchandise comprising two interengaging parts both of which are of transparent material, one of said parts comprising a substantially flat piece having a hollow core member attached endwise to one side of the same, said attached end of the core member being closed while the opposite end thereof is open, the other part comprising a receptacle adapted to receive said core member in spaced relation thereto when the parts are in engagement with each other, an annular projecting portion disposed inside the receptacle and integral therewith, said annular projecting portion being spaced from and in alinement with the core member, the inside transverse dimension of the receptacle being approximately twice the inside height of the receptacle, and the inside transverse dimension of the core member being approximately the same as the inside height of the receptacle, and said package having a tape-like article wrapped around the outer surface of the core member and a spoollike article in the hollow interior of the core member and between the latter and said annular projecting portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 736,808 Wooster Aug. 18, 1903 1,470,154 Draughon Oct. 9, 1923 2,082,546 Machate June 1, 1937 2,232,286 Tollen Feb. 18, 1941 2,285,270 Gelow June 2, 1942 2,331,675 Frost Oct. 12, 1943 2,481,095 Essman Sept. 6, 1949 2,486,247 Berlin Oct. 25, 1949 2,537,940 Peake Jan. 9, 1951 

